The decision by an independent international jury to nominate an Egyptian journalist who has been incarcerated for nearly five years for a top UN award, helps “shine the light” on press freedom at a “pivotal moment”.

Not merely limited to beautiful and poignant words and phrases, poetry holds the extraordinary power to open new horizons, bridge differences and illuminate a path to peace and dialogue, the head of the United Nations cultural agency said on World Poetry Day.

A village and cemetery in Vanuatu connected to a chief who ruled four centuries ago are an example of Pacific Island heritage that must be protected, according to an official with the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, in the region.